We propose a three-day meeting on autoimmunity, to be held under the sponsorship of the New York academy of sciences. The purpose of the conference is to consolidate important advances which have been made during the past few years. A major goal of the meeting is to reach a consensus about the origins of autoantibodies and their immunochemical and biological properties and to seek new directions in the control of autoimmune diseases. Seven sessions are planned: Idiotypes and Idiotypic Networks, Genetics of Autoimmunity, Properties of Autoantibodies, Origins of Autoantibodies, Lymphokines, Effector Mechanisms and New Forms of Therapy.